Refuse compaction handling equipment utilizing fluids under low pressure

ABSTRACT

A reference structure is adapted to be held in a substantially fixed location while a movable, self supporting, fluid tight, structure is variably positioned and expanded, at least in part, to and from the reference structure to move a ram. The ram inturn enters a receiving chamber to contact and compress refuse therein and compressibly move the compacting refuse into a compaction chamber. The ram moves as both fluid pressure generating and regulating apparatus are operated to expand and then to retract the self-supporting fluid tight structure. Various stages of compression are undertaken, as necessary, when a variable position reactive compression plate or baffle is sequentially moved away from the receiving chamber to define different volume sizes of temporary subcompartments within the compaction chamber which often serves as an &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;on the spot&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; refuse container.

United States Patent 2148X $5 5 40fl4 1001 2 02 Ray E. Charles 3,207,336 9/1965 Boeck et a1. 605 W. Mercer Place, Seattle, Wash. 98119 3,229,618 1/1966 O'Connor..................... Appl. No. 753,582 3,229,622 1/1966 French et a1. [22] Filed Aug. 19, 1968 3,231,107 1/1966 C1ar................. 1 1 Patented P 13, 1971 3,248,272 4/1966 Sawada 3,315,594 4/1967 Simshauser......

3,326,713 6/1967 Smith et a1. UTILIZING FLUIDS UNDER LOW PR 3,327,620 6/1967 Cole 3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

1nvent0r [54] REFUSE COMPACTION HANDLING EQUIPMENT ESSURE 3,368,478 2/1968 Clar........................::::::

and compress refuse therein and compressibly move the paction chamber. The ram 7 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS compacting refuse into a com moves as both fluid pressure generating and regulating n nd 6 n 6 "h 0 0 e m 0 m .11 v .l SSHn U f S S [C e 6 e 0 m 0 a r m WP v t m ummv. C e 00 30136 fC-Dnu S flfannme ro newhhe SflU- t Re Am em fla Snhn fiuHO h .m e tsn d 5 d e S n 0h 0t n mwmtma r mv wmw aQW mn P 3 O a c U$ v ew mm 0 cc a o e U 1 S t e im d n .m n e n v u e 1.1 .18 ah a1 6 f r SC O W 1% 6m r rh 01 e Pe o c 6 Uk mhppm Tfla tm a n 0 w Sm e mw L m emffl a Vcl m rou ma "up 8 1 pp a can P r e whh o aSa-laSCC 99 8 2 nwm m n //9M/46/ 00 4 Q0 002 2 0 11/ 2 0 l 0 n m w k H mmn m m m m O n w m w m "m mm mvxbwu aa rOZ.1 HTDFUBCR 2006002244 00556666 99999999 Mmwwwwflw 1 69936929 0346589 87969934 97334534 w J 223333 lltlElF USE CGACTION HANDLING EQUIPMENT UTILIZING FLUIDS UNDER LOW PRESSURE BACKGROUND The removal of wastes from production areas and multiunit living areas has required the selective nearby placement of large containers into which refuse is placed. Presently such containers when full, or nearly so, are carried away by trucks etc., or lifted over trucks and dumped into them. The truck may have its self-contained compaction equipment.

There remains, however, a requirement for compaction to occur sooner than the arrival of a disposal truck. If compaction occurs earlier, containers located in these critical waste collection areas will hold greater quantities of refuse before it becomes necessary to dump them, and/or provide additional containers.

in industrial areas, collecting disposal trucks may be scheduled to arrive during graveyard shifts and often also scheduled to arrive less frequently, if compaction is undertaken where these on the spot" refuse containers are located.

SUMMARY This invention provides apparatus to accomplish on the spot" compaction where refuse is being collected. An overall assembly of the apparatus receives, compresses, holds and/or transports waste materials. Within each overall assembly is a variable fluid pressure expanding and retracting subassembly. The principal component of each subassembly is a vinylcoated fabric arranged as an expandable and retractable cylindrical bellows which solely retain fluid under pressure independently of any backup by surrounding structures. The fluid pressure expansion energy isharnessed by the bellows and converted to compressive energy. Such conversion occurs DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment of this solid waste disposal handling apparatus with reference to the combination of a low pressure refuse compactor and a refuse container is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, with portions removed, showing the combined refuse compactor and refuse container;

FIG. 2 is a side view, with portions removed, showing the combined compactor and container of FIG. 1, using dotted lines to illustrate the full compressing stroke of the ram as it compacts refuse;

FIG. 3 is a detailed partial side sectional view indicating the construction and mounting of the bellows which expand and retract to move the ram through the receiving container or hopper to and from the refuse container in which the compaction is completed; and

FIG. 4, is a partial sectional view, indicating how the reactive compression plate is guided and stopped at various temporary sub compartment volume sizes.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Separable Compactor and Container As viewed in FIGS. I and 2, a low pressure compactor is combined with a refuse container l2 in which the compaction is continued. As combined in a unit l4, they are secured together by adjusting a tensioning means 116. Compactor 10 and container 12 in this way are conveniently joined. Yet they may be separated, as necessary, when in an industrial plant a larger container, not shown, might be required at a refuse collection location. Also one or the other might require special maintenance and during its absence it may be readily replaced. For such changes of either compactor 10 or container 12 or their movement when combined to a new location, both are equipped with casters 18.

If the refuse container 12 is taken temporarily to a collecting and/or compactor truck outside of a plant, the compactor hopper volume may be used for interim refuse storage until they are reconnected again as a unit 14.

Compactor Compactor 10 has an open top 20 hopper 22, with solid longitudinal sidewalls 24, 26, with solid bottom 28 and with aligned openings 30, 32 in its transverse sidewalls 34, 36. Wall 36 abuts the refuse container 12 and wall 34 completes a foursided 38, 40, 42, 44 housing 46 which encompasses and thereby protects a fluid pressure expansion and retraction subassembly 48. The aligned openings 30, 32, accommodate a ram 50 which is moved through the bottom volume of hopper 22 to compress refuse 52 and move it into refuse container 12 where the compaction continues.

Ram

Ram 50 is a rectangular piston 54 having a ram plate 56 whose cross-sectional area is only slightly smaller than aligned hopper openings 30, 32. The piston 54 is sufficiently long to extend slightly beyond the longitudinal length of hopper 22. It is guided by having its respective sides 58, 60 formed to follow guide tracks 62 64 secured to the inside surfaces of housing sides or walls 38 and 42. Preferably the lower edge of ram plate 56 is equipped with a wire brush 66, which sweeps refuse ahead of ram plate 56.

Fluid Pressure Extension and Retraction Subassembly Ram 50 is moved through hopper 22 and withdrawn from hopper 22 by operation of its actuator 68 which is designated as having a low fluid pressure extension and retraction subassembly 48. The actuator 68 is completed by the addition of a pressurized fluid supply means 70, such as a low pressure air compressor or an air pump, associated conduit 72, and at least two airflow valves or control valves 74, 76. The air pump 70 is designed to operate alternately as a pressure source and as a vacuum inducer.

The overall start, stop and reverse and stop, of a compression and return cycle of ram 50 may be automatically sequenced by electrical switches, inclusive of limiting travel switches 78, 00 as also suggested by the control system discussed in application Ser. No. 600,645. Included among the switches in the circuit 84 is an overriding pressure electrical switch 82 which senses the buildup of any pressure beyond a preset designated value that may be reached prior to ram 50 completing its compression stroke. This might occur if an incompressible object was inadvertently thrown into hopper 22 and it failed to pass freely into refuse container 12.

The effective use of a low pressure fluid supply is made possible by constructing bellows 86 using Vinyl" coated Nylon materials 88 as illustrated in FIG. 3. The material is arranged in an accordion configuration, and, as necessary resilient restraining loop materials 90 are included to define the directional changes of the bellows configuration B6. Loop materials 90 may not be necessary when the material used is independently capable of being so formed as an accordion bellows. Also where a vacuum is created during the retraction of fluid pressure assembly 48 there is no need for them. When used, however, loop materials 90 are surrounded by an additional layer 92 of Vinyl coated Nylon" material that is secured to bellows as. Each layer 92 defines a circumferential volume 94 about each respective loop 90.

Bellows 86 must be of sufficient size or relationship to the fluid pressure source and the compaction job to be undertaken in order to generate the total compressive force needed. The proportions illustrated indicate the relative sizes that result in designing this low pressure compactor.

Also, sufficient clearance between housing 46 and bellows 86 is necessary. The bellows 86 must expand and retract without contacting the interior surfaces of housing 46. As indicated previously, bellows 86 withstand completely the pressures established within them. The housing 46, is not used to supplement the strength of the bellows 86. The housing 46 does cover them to protect them from damage from outside happenings. Also the walls 38, 42 of housing 46 support guides 62, 64 which direct the motion of ram 50 and consequently the motion of bellows 86,

Anchor rings 96, as shown in FIG. 3, receive the respective ends 98, 100 of bellows 86. They are secured with fasteners 102, respectively, to inside of compactor end wall 104 and a force transfer plate 106. A groove 108 is provided in each anchor ring 96 to receive the respective end of the bellows 86. The Vinyl" coated *Nylon material is held in a groove 108 by a resilient tensioned ring 110 which is made of rubber or rubberlike material.

Plate 106 is secured to ram piston 54 to receive the fluid pressure force and redistribute it to the ram piston 54. Such redistribution or realignment of the resultant force is undertaken so ram 50 may be positioned to pass through hopper near its bottom. This arrangement provides more room for filling of refuse and assuring better compaction of refuse being compressibly moved into the refuse container where compaction is continued. Yet as noted before, the bellows must necessarily be positioned sufficiently clear of any adjoining structure such as the housing bottom 44. Therefore force transfer plate 106 serves as the means to accommodate the relative positioning of bellows 86 of the fluid pressure extension and retraction subassembly 48 and the ram 50.

To know what the pressure is in bellows 86, a pressure gauge 87 is mounted on compactor 10 in a convenient location as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Also a drain 89 is installed to remove any water that might be carried into the bellows 86, as vapor, during operation of fluid pressure assembly 48.

Refuse Container in Which Compaction Continues Ram 50, when moved by the extension and retraction subassembly 48, upon emergence from housing 46, transverse wall 34, and opening contacts refuse 52 to commence and continue a compression of the refuse 52. While ram 50 is compacting refuse, it is also moving the refuse into container 12. The necessary reactive force is created and maintained by utilizing tensioning means 16 to hold refuse container 12 against compactor 10 to create this refuse handling combination 14.

The ram entry 112 of container 12 is sized to accommodate ram 50 which projects into container 12 before retracting. Just prior to any separation of container 12 and compactor 10, a cover plate 114, after a ram retraction motion is completed, is pivoted about its hinge 116 connection to container 12 to cover ram entry 112. To facilitate moving cover 114 into a flush position with container 12 at its ram receiving end 118, a semicircular push pad 120 is secured to cover 114. After pivoting plate 114 over ram entry 112, fluid pressure assembly 48 is energized driving ram 50 and its ram plate 56 into contact with push pad 120. Ram 50 continues its compressing movements until cover 114 remains closed when ram 50 is retracted.

During the ramming, container 12 has no other opened entry beyond ram entry 112. Subsequently, when it has received its load of compacted refuse, this compacted load is preferably removed from the discharge end 122 which is opposite to its ram receiving end 118. To accommodate such straight through removal, discharge end 122 is pivotally mounted with an upper hinge 124 secured to container 12 and it is raised to clear the way for removing compacted refuse 52,

Removal of compacted refuse 52 may optionally be undertaken from the top of container 12 by pivoting a lid 126 which is secured by hinge 128. Handles 130 are provided here and elsewhere for convenient gripping of this lid 126 and other covers 114 and 122. Fasteners, not shown, secure lid 126 and covers 114, 122 in their respective end travel positions.

Multiple Stages of Compression in Refuse Containers When large refuse containers 12 are secured to compactors 10, the continuing compression occurring in refuse container 12 is preferably aided and undertaken by including within each large container 12 a movable compartment subassembly 132. The principal component is a reactive compression plate or baffle 134 which is formed to be guided for longitudinal movement through container 12 by guides 136, 138 which are secured to the interior surfaces of sidewalls 140, 142 of container 12.

As the compression filling of container 12 commences, reactive compression plate 134, is located near ram entry end 118 of container 12. it is kept there by inserting position holding transverse locating pins 144 through complementary sized access holes 146 in container sides 140, 142. Additional sets of access holes are spaced throughout the length of refuse container 12 to predetermined various positions of reactive compression plate 134 as it is moved during compressive filling stages of the overall compaction of refuse 52 in container 12.

To insure the convenient movement of this reactive plate 134 from stage to stage, it is made a part of an overall movable compartment defining subassembly 148. Additional components of subassembly 148 are: a base platform or chassis 150 to which friction reducing means 152, such as wheels, are secured; and sidewalls 154, 156 which support and position reactive compression plate or baffle 134. This subassembly 148 is sized to be readily passed through the end opening that is cleared as discharge end 122 of container 12 is pivoted downwardly, when compacted refuse 52 is to be withdrawn from container 12.

General Specifications The following specifications indicate how a specific combination 14 of a compactor 10 and refuse container 12 would be made in accordance with invention as indicated by the preceeding description and in the accompanying drawings.

Low pressure refuse compactor:

Design pressure Longitudinal 5 p.s.i. opposite compactor or ram port. Transverse 150 p.s.i. it. Reactive 5,000 lbs. in connectors to compaction unit. Compaction port". 3'0 by 3'0 framed. Portability 4 heavy duty casters-lockable.

OTHER EMBODIMENTS Although no other embodiments are shown in the drawings, several changes are easily made if the need is present. For example, the stages of compression are increased, decreased and/or eliminated depending on the size of a refuse container and also what is being compacted.

As noted previously, the fluid pressure expanding and contracting assembly utilizes a Vinyl" coated Nylon material. For use in the illustrated embodiment, which is sized to comply with the general specifications, a 22 ounce total weight material is used with 6 ounces of this total representing the base nylon material. Such a bellows withstands 3O p.s.i., but is operated at 8 p.s.i. The objective in selection of materials beyond the economic considerations is to provide a self contained pressure retaining bellows which operates completely clear of its'housing. Heavier materials, lighter materials and different materials, may be used depending on the embodiment of the invention.

The fluid pressure source is fulfilled by operation of an air compressor positioned in a conduit system with valves to utilize it both in building up the compressed fluids and in eiitracting it through an ejector action. In lieu of its later function capabilities a separate vacuum pump, not shown, may be relied upon. For the embodiment specified a l /fz horsepower vacuum pump driven by a 12 ampere electric motor, not shown, may be used. Where a manufacturing plant has an industrial compressed air system, operating, for example, with line pressures ranging from 80 to 100 p.s.i., compressed air from this air system, not shown, could be relied upon in lieu of air compressor 70, shown in the drawings.

lclaim:

1. A refuse compactor comprising a packer and a separable receiver, said packer comprising a boxlike frame having a reciprocable ram therein, a bellows-type ram actuator positioned between one wall of said frame and said ram and connected to said wall and the back of said ram, guide means on said frame for slidably positioning said ram slightly above the floor of said frame, an opening in the top of said frame for depositing refuse therein in front of said ram, a discharge opening in a wall of said frame adjacent the front of said ram,

means to releasably connect the packer and the receiver, said receiver having mounted therein a separable adjustably positioned movable container, an opening in a wall of said receiver whereby when the packer and receiver are connected refuse may be packed from said packer through said receiver opening and into said container.

2. A refuse compactor, as claimed in claim 1, comprising, in addition, an air pump secured to the boxlike frame, conduits connecting the air pump and the bellows-type ram actuator, and control valves positioned in the conduits, and operated with the air pump which then alternately and effectively serves as a pressure source and as a vacuum inducer, respectively, expanding and contracting the bellows-type ram actuator.

3. A refuse compactor, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said opening in the wall of said receiver is selectively closed by a door equipped with an outward projecting means to be engaged by the ram during a final compacting cycle, whereby the door moves into closed position and upon subsequent separation of the receiver from the packer, all the refuse remains within the receiver until it is intentionally emptied. 

1. A refuse compactor comprising a packer and a separable receiver, said packer comprising a boxlike frame having a reciprocable ram therein, a bellows-type ram actuator positioned between one wall of said frame and said ram and connected to said wall and the back of said ram, guide means on said frame for slidably positioning said ram slightly above the floor of said frame, an opening in the top of said frame for depositing refuse therein in front of said ram, a discharge opening in a wall of said frame adjacent the front of said ram, means to releasably connect the packer and the receiver, said receiver having mounted therein a separable adjustably positioned movable container, an opening in a wall of said receiver whereby when the packer and receiver are connected refuse may be packed from said packer through said receiver opening and into said container.
 2. A refuse compactor, as claimed in claim 1, comprising, in addition, an air pump secured to the boxlike frame, conduits connecting the air pump and the bellows-type ram actuator, and control valves positioned in the conduits, and operated with the air pump which then alternately and effectively serves as a pressure source and as a vacuum inducer, respectively, expanding and contracting the bellows-type ram actuator.
 3. A refuse compactor, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said opening in the wall of said receiver is selectively closed by a door equipped with an outward projecting means to be engaged by the ram during a final compacting cycle, whereby the door moves into closed position and upon subsequent separation of the receiver from the packer, all the refuse remains within the receiver until it is intentionally emptied. 